for a long time i thought i needed to lose something. but losing something, operating in the negative, is not how the brain works. the goal is always to attain. to improve, get stronger. so instead of thinking of weight-loss, i decided to focus on building something: a stronger body.
this is a path that does not require a scale. the change that takes place, evolves from the inside out. when you start to build a stronger body, you will choose the best building materials, not the skimpiest. you will choose vegetables and fruit and nuts- whatever, but not low-cal fast foods and skipping meals. you will exercise your body so that it works better, not because you want to make it less (weigh less). the idea of building is empowering. the idea of losing weight is surrounded by deprivation and lacking. when you choose to drink water over eating a snack, do it because your body needs water more than a candy bar so it can flush out toxins. after you drink your 8 glasses of water a day you can think about other options. but drink the water first.
your body is a temple. an amazing gift. it's the best piece of real estate you can get. you own it. it is a garden. what do you want to plant there? you are the landlord, you are the gardener. does your house and garden serve you? do you serve it? don't you struggle to HAVE the best? then struggle to EAT the best.
Be grateful for what you have. If you can walk and talk and get out of bed in the morning you are way ahead of a lot of people in this world. Be thankful for that- it will get you a lot farther than hating yourself and feeling sorry for yourself for being overweight. Being overweight is a privilege! Thank your lucky stars! And then know that you also have the privilage to be choosy.
I have a project! and i get to work on that project 10 times a day. I get to build a better body morning ,noon and night. when i take a break at work, i can work on improving myself by eating something that will nourish and sustain my temple. and i also get the immediate satisfaction of being in a temple that will serve me today and tomorrow.
have you ever been in a beautiful temple? a temple that was in your mind perfect? and did you wonder about how much work it took to build such a thing? the time and all the choices and all the materials. It may have taken years to make, and when it was complete there must have been a celebration, and after the celebration the people who built it maintained the temple, with love and devotion. what i am saying is, that it takes a lot of work to build a beautiful temple. but it is a labor of love.
what you possess may not feel like a temple, but it is one. you are one of the lucky ones! you have inherited a "fixer-upper" temple! rejoice at the opportunity and thankful for the challenge. stop saying, "all i got was this lousy temple, i hate it". and for heavens sake, stop throwing gasoline and matches on your "hated temple", because believe me one day it will catch on fire.
i am serious about the language change too. change the way you talk to yourself, whether you are "building temple" or "repairing your vehicle" you have to get it into your head that this is not YOU, but rather the thing you are in. it's a vessel. it's a rocket-ship sailing through space. in this way you begin to change the relationship. instead of saying "i'm sad or mad or glad... i want to (or deserve to) eat a cookie as a reward", say "i feel sad... this is what sadness feels like" and then say "thank god i have my project to work on. what can i eat or drink or do to move my temple project forward?". your project, your temple, your vessel, your vehicle is the one thing in life that you have absolute ownership of. you are the sole proprietor! so work on it! fix it up. make it work better. turn it into a temple!
